But she would have a life and be pursuing her own things. With Frank Gallagher providing the ultimate Shameless character exit at the end of season 11, it's hard to imagine the series coming back for another season without him. Showrunner John Wells sat down withThe Hollywood Reporterto do an extensive interview about theShamelessSeries Finale. Photograph: Eddy Soffer. When ABC decided it was time to end this family-friendly sitcom starring puppet dinosaurs after four seasons, the creators decided to do it in the most depressing way possible by having its main character, Sinclair family patriarch Earl, trigger a catastrophic extinction event that would not only kill every main character, but his entire species. Not only does this most likely mean that this is the last that fans will ever see the Gallagher family (unless a spinoff unexpectedly comes to fruition), it most certainly will be the last that fans will see of Frank Gallagher, as the patriarch of the family died during the finale. So, the island was purgatory, right? Frank Gallagher (US) | Shameless Wiki | Fandom While it was nice that the Shameless series finale included Fiona in some capacity, it would've been better if she could have shown up in the flesh to witness the Frank Gallagher death scene. After waking from his overdose, the Gallagher patriarch eventually ended up in the hospital, where he died of COVID. While Fiona was shown in flashbacks during all the Frank Gallagher series finale moments, it was still weird not having her around. Francis "Frank" Gallagher was one of the main characters of Shameless. Based on what was going on with the pandemic, when we were planning it there have been so many surges, I cant remember which one it was but the quarantines went back into effect between New York [where Rossum resides] and Los Angeles [where Shameless films] and it was impossible to figure out how to get her back. "I think she's down in Florida. It seemed appropriate for Frank. This is likely a good thing; if Carl Gallagher is going to be armed with a weapon, then handing out parking tickets is probably the safest place for the young Gallagher. Former Braves baseball player and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron died Jan. 22, almost three weeks after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. You really dont get to connect. The suit's lead plaintiff, Frank Ciaramella, died in 2020. Frank is (despite appearances) Liam's biological father, and Liam defaulted to him in his search for a parent figure since Frank is technically his father even if he has no other qualifications. Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron sits for a. Under the old limits, he was not . Shamless Series Finale Here's Where Everyone Ended Up - BuzzFeed They agreed, It would be unrealistic to not have anybody in this community actually suffer severe consequences of the pandemic. And Frank seemed like the logical choice. In the post-credits, his body, saturated with ingested alcohol, is cremated, with explosive results. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Privacy Policy and When you have him die of COVID instead of drugs or alcohol abuse, how does that change the trajectory of the character? The fact that Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) died alone in theShamelessSeason Finale left a bad taste in the mouths of some fans. Mickey is still reluctant at the end of the series, but a couple of possibilities are floated: adopting one of the many neglected Milkovich babies or adopting Tami and Lip's second child. An unclear amount of time later, he met Tish again and discovered that she was pregnant, but whether or not Carl is the father is left unanswered by the series. And Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) have a kid. It could have been one of many things; it was the last thing that pushed him over the cliff, but he was barely hanging on. It was disappointing for all of us, and especially for Emmy, but with her other obligations, she couldnt go back and quarantine for two weeks in New York after being in Los Angeles. Your email address will not be published. Liam also tries to make him happy by doing Frank things with him, like scamming strangers for money. The showrunner and executive producer John Wells weighed in on the plans for Franks ending. It's unclear as to whether he dies from his alcoholic dementia, from COVID-19 complications, or as a result of his recent overdose. Given that this is the finale of an 11-season show, the rest of the Shameless characters are afforded a pretty open ending. Shameless is obviously outrageously exaggerated, but we tried to ground it in a real world in which you felt like if you turned the right corner of Chicago, you could run across some Gallaghers and their whole world. It wouldn't be an in-character Shameless finale without the traditional mid-credits stinger. Thats an experience many people have had with relatives who have died of covid. Even for Frank there can be a grace and joy in the passing, at least thats what I hope that we can go out a little more gracefully. That was very intentional to show them all together at the end. Does Frank die in Shameless season 11? Character's fate explored - HITC Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. We didnt try and solve anything. Knowing you didnt want to end Shameless, do you have any desire to do a spinoff? The episode followed immediately on the penultimate episode's final moments, with Frank (William H. Macy) having overdosed on the family sofa and not one member of the household even slightly. Im exhausted. As the finale winds down, the patrons of The Alibi troop outside to enjoy the sight of a Tesla on fire, in a final defiant middle finger to the gentrification of the neighborhood. Because it was so hard to work out, we never got to the point [of] actually writing it and then having to ditch it, but that was the intent. All Rights Reserved. Did he really deserve to die alone while his children partied in the streets? In a sense, falling victim to the coronavirus is appropriate for a man who considered himself as much a part of Chicago city's high fidelity as its streets and buildings. And just like that, Frank Gallagherhas shamelessly risen above it all. An offer comes in that, between the remaining mortgage and taxes, will leave them with a modest sum of around $30,000. But what we were talking about was that with the information that the family had about Franks dementia, she was going to come back and deal with Liams guardianship and deciding where Liam was going to be as they sold the house and be a part of all those decisions, [and wed] have some more moments with Fiona and the rest of the family. Instead, his poor sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) met her demise and he escaped Miami to restart asa lumberjack in Oregon?! Theres a great deal of wish fulfillment, even if its the Gallaghers and the way they handle it and their economic difficulties. In theShamelessseries finale, he woke up and wandered around southside Chicago. I havent really given it any thought. John Wells reveals he lost a very close family member to COVID-19. Whatever you think is right! America's first ER doctor to die on the frontline of the coronavirus Showtime felt that Shameless had run its course with 11 seasons and that it was best to end on a high note. Below, Wells talks with THR about Franks fate, why he loves open-ended finales, what would have happened with Fiona and, yes, the mandatory spinoff question. Terms of Service apply. ", 'Shameless' Cast Shares Their Goodbyes Amid Series Finale, 'Shameless': Shanola Hampton on Saying Goodbye After 11 Seasons, By signing up, you agree to our But we get to tell a lot of great stories with these people and wonderful actors, writers and directors. As it turns out, COVID-19 was. He called the circumstances "a very minor but sad result of everything that's happened in the pandemic.". Shameless, for all of our craziness and outrageousness, was about joy and about family and about people looking out for each other. Industry professionals are tweeting their support of guild members. They round out the celebrations by singing Spoon's "The Way We Get By," which played at the end of the pilot episode. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner John Wells confirmed Frank is actually dead. So we were kind of monitoring it, because we wanted to make sure we werent going to do something that, by the time it was on the air, would be anticlimactic and sort of post- [the pandemic] We were really hoping that the pandemic ended and we would then rewrite everything at the end so it wasnt all about this. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the showrunner decided to change the story a little bit. Through his ex-girlfriend Queenie . Would any of Fionas storylines have filled in what the character is doing now? It was his own personal experience that catapulted the inspiration for Frank Gallagher's death. "Based on what was going on with the pandemic, when we were planning it the quarantines went back into effect between New York [where Rossum resides] and Los Angeles [where Shameless films] and it was impossible to figure out how to get her back. Liam Gallagher is very jaded for his young age, which is understandable given that he hasn't really had anything resembling a parent since Fiona left the Gallagher household. Although theres no direct explanation for his death, viewers can surmise that he died from complications of COVID-19 and excessive drug and alcohol abuse. Was he proud of his parenting in those moments? Or was that a way to get Emmy Rossum back onscreen, even for a second? It seemed appropriate for Frank. The final scene of Shameless' series finale brings the show full circle. TVLINE | There was one notable absence in the episode, although we did see her in flashbacks. The series finale saw Frank die from a combination of his diagnosis and COVID-19. Hes like a huge Jenga tower that if you just touched [and] pulled out one more thing, [hes] gonna fall apart. You and many other people! I was also interested in Arthur (guest star Josh Malina) and Carl running the Alibi, it could have been funny as a cop bar story. See TV's most controversial series finales: The series ended its 11-season run on April 11, 2021. TVLINE | Frank has had close brushes with death before as a result of his various health issues. Heres What Will Happen to Your Fave TV Show If Theres a Writers Strike. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Vlada Gelman / When the iconic NBC comedy signed off in 1998 after nine seasons, original co-creator Larry David returned to really drive home how little the show's core four characters had learnedand how kinda awful they'd been all along. With all the comorbidity that Frank had, Bill and I both talked about it, he continued. Despite his sins arguably more than earning him a place down below, for audiences, he was the linchpin of the show throughout, the corrupt center upon which the world of Shameless span. Updated April 17, 2023 Daily Covid hospital admissions Avg. And that makes me feel good as a viewer and a reader. COVID-19 played a major role on the final season of Shameless, both onscreen and off-screenserving as the primary reason that Emmy Rossum, who starred as Fiona Gallagher on the series for nine. Ariana DeBose and Rachel Brosnahan Set for Covenant House Gala, FXs Alien TV Series Taps Sydney Chandler to Star, Dodger Great Fernando Valenzuela Getting Limited Series Treatment (Exclusive), 'Shameless': How COVID Upended the Final Season of the Showtime Hit, 'Shameless' Cast to Reunite for Post-Series Finale Panel, Trevor Noah Producing U.S. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. (Laughing.) The idea was with Franks dementia being discovered, theres a call and she comes back to help everyone figure it out and that she would come back and be involved at the end with what to do with the house and all that. They all would have! Were so invested as writers and audience members in their lives that you want to fill in some blanks and not run the American Graffiti end crawl. All rights reserved. We planned on alcoholic dementia when we were only a few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [2020], Wells began. Bill and I talked a lot about if [Frank] wrote a suicide note, it would be full of grievances, because thats Frank. April 11 2021, 6:59 PM PDT. Dan Martin writes, "My beloved Barbara (Cyrus) '60 died last year, after 59 wonderful years together, including three sons and 10 grandchildren all living in the vicinity of the greater New York area." Dan mentions lots of activity with family and friends, and he looks forward to resuming travel that was deferred due to COVID. 'Shameless' Series Finale: Frank Gets COVID TV Questions - TVLine Legendary comedian Gallagher dead at 76 | Fox News Then he was partnered with Officer Janes, who seemed like the tough mentor figure Carl was looking for until it became clear that she used her power for acts of pointless cruelty. Required fields are marked *. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Shameless Finale Joins List of Most Controversial TV Endings - E! Online 'Shameless' Boss Explains the Surprising and Open-Ended Series Finale So it became a natural conversation that maybe Frank would actually die of COVID although I have to say, theres so many comorbidities, about anything could have pushed him over. Rossum left the show in 2018 after nine seasons. That's what we do, at least. We were just a few days away from starting to shoot. He was the adoptive father and uncle of Ian Gallagher. You never know. Its fun in American Graffiti where you tell everyone what happens. We tried thinking about it, and I tried writing, a couple of different times, the scene where they find out, and I just thought it was the wrong note to end on for Shameless. Yes, absolutely. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Speaking on Franks fate, Wells told Deadline that it felt wrong to let the man completely off the hook for the damage he has done to his body over the years. Like Ian, Monica had bipolar depression. Watching Showtime's serial killer thriller, one got the impression that the titular murderer (played by Michael C. Hall) might eventually have to, you know, pay for his many, many sins by the time all was said and done. Knowing you were always going to give Frank alcoholic dementia, but ultimately COVID-19 knocked him out, was there anything about the end of the series that had to change because of the pandemic? So they bring out all of his medical records, they talk about how terrible his health is, and then in the little tag, he has so much alcohol in his body that he blows up the crematorium. Of course, Frank being Frank, what actually happened is that Liam ended up acting more like the parent in their relationship. After 134 episodes, the Shameless series finale left troublemaking patriarch Frank Gallagher dying in a hospital from the virus he called a hoax in a previous episode. April 26, 2022. Despite much hope among fans, Emmy Rossum, who left the show in season nine in 2019, did not return forthe finaleto reprise her role of Frank's eldest daughter Fiona Gallagher. At least that means William H. Macy will get a break. So, we had to show that there were some consequences, Wells said. Not that theres ever a good transition after that, but focusing on the episode Frank rises above the South Side on his bar stool, beer in hand, looking back on his life. By the end of the show, his estimation of her has changed. I like keeping it with the audiences imagination of who would react and how when they finally discover that hes gone. However, the reason that Emmy Rossum couldn't come back for the finale was the same reason that Frank Gallagher died: the COVID-19 pandemic. Hannah has been with Screen Rant since 2013, covering news, features, movie premieres, Comic-Con and more! 4 min read. Not only does Frank die, but he does so alone and the series ends without his family knowing about it. Though many Shameless fans hoped Fiona would return for the series finale, she only appears in flashbacks as Frank looks back on his life. Though Frank Gallagher imagines himself rising up over Chicago as he says farewell to his family, his actions over the past 11 seasons don't bode well for his chances of getting into Heaven. But she would have a life and be pursuing her own things. The incinerator then belches out an urn with Frank's name and date of birth and death on it the implication being that he's gone straight to Hell to close out Shameless' season 11 finale. I just think its true to life, and just as a viewer, I always feel that I like that feeling. Household insecurity and instability is a key problem for children living on the poverty line; a 2014 report (via The Washington Post) found that 2.5 million children experienced homelessness annually in the US. The pandemic will be remembered as a pivotal moment in Chicago's history, and now Frank Gallagher is a part of that history albeit in a rather grim way. Moreover, many fans felt weird about the series ending without seeing the Gallagher children reacting to his death. The party made its way outside, the gang singing Spoons The Way We Get By as an expensive car went up in flames. In Shameless season 11, Debbie shows warning signs of being a similarly poor mother to Franny leaving her alone without any confirmed childcare to go off on a drink and drugs binge, and starting a relationship with Heidi, a violent ex-con who greeted Debbie by pointing a gun and threatening to shoot her daughter if she didn't cooperate. Frank Gabrin's messages to Eddy Soffer. So, while Fiona wasn't in the Shameless series finale, her impact on the show was felt, and at least audiences got to see her again in flashbacks. Do you understand and/or agree with why John Wells made this decision? I lost a close family member who had been ill in December of covid, despite following the covid protocols. TVLINE | The contents of Franks letter are not, I would say, warm and fuzzy, and his kids never really have a moment of closure with him. With such an emotional ending to Shameless season 11, it does indeed feel like the right time for the series to end, but it's also comforting to know that, at least in Wells' mind, the characters are still carrying on and their themes will still resonate. We had a lot of jokes for her but we never actually nailed it down. Of course, this offer is somewhat complicated by the fact that Lip doesn't yet have a new place to move into by the end of the Shameless series finale and is worried that he can't afford to support another baby on his and Tami's income. We had about 20 of them! The most gripping TV drama of the year is happening behind closed doors. As of 24 April 2023, a total of 13,325,228,015 vaccine doses have been administered. My family can relate to that experience of not being able to say goodbye and not being there when it happened. Frank Gallagher ( William H. Macy) is diagnosed with the coronavirus in a hospital and soon dies while on a ventilatora most harrowing cautionary scene amid the current pandemic. The rest of the Gallagher kids, seemingly oblivious to the death of their dad, prepare to finally sell their longtime family home and start new, more independent lives. If you hated the way Lena Dunham's HBO comedy ended, with a half-hour that focused merely on Hannah Horvath with a bit of Allison Williams' Marnie thrown in, helping to raise Hannah's baby, may we suggest you think of it as merely an ill-advised epilogue and allow the penultimate episodewhich saw Hannah saying goodbye to all of the titular girls in a truly emotionally effective half-hourto act as the show's true finale. Aside fromhis final accession, the finale also lefteven moreup in the air: Lip (Jeremy Allen White) gets an offer tosell the family's home and hopes to start a new life with Tami (Kate Miner), their son Freddie and his brother Liam (Christian Isaiah). Although Fiona may not have returned for the finale, Frank's final stumbling journey through Chicago was nevertheless a tribute to her memory. COVID-19 has done what a failing liver, alcoholism, drug abuse, dementia, being tossed in the Chicago River in the winter, and a suicide attempt could not do: kill Frank Gallagher. Gallagher, the famous comedian known for smashing watermelons, has died under hospice care in California. While Rossum didn't get a finaleShamelessappearance, Wells has some idea about what Fiona's up to now. Turns out, Frank Gallagher dying alone in the hospital was very much intentional. Frank Gallagher Dies From COVID-19 Of all the many, many ways one might expect to see the Frank Gallagher death scene, few could have predicted at the start of the series that he'd fall victim to a pandemic. But sadly, thats not what happened, so we thought we had to deal with it in the world of Shameless and have an ending that reflected what was going on in the world for people who are living at the poverty line, and also that was still funny and Shameless in the middle of this tragedy that were all living. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. 'Shameless' Finale: John Wells Explains Why Frank Died Alone - Tv Shows Ace We joked in the room that she ended up getting a job at Disney World, probably in Epcot Center because she would never get a job on the better side," he said. "We had a lot of jokes for her but we never actually nailed it down. Grade it below, then hit the comments! At the time, she called her role "a gift," adding that "the last eight years have been the best of my life. Thats what I felt. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard | WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19 Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Frank Cullotta, Mobster Turned Memoirist and YouTuber, Dies at 81 We hit the second or third time everything shut down with two-week quarantines. In the final moments of the episode, we see Frank at the Alibi and hear what he wrote in a note to. We put it up on the writers room board and then took it down a few times. The comedian Gallagher, best known for smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer, has. All rights reserved. Talk to me about what you wanted to convey in that final moment. It seemed unrealistic to do something about the south side of Chicago and people living barely above the poverty line and not have anybody succumb to this horrible pandemic.. Shameless Series Finale: What Did Franks Suicide Note In The Red Envelope Say? She drives around with Heidi to help her find a car to steal and ends up having to make a quick getaway from a man wielding a shotgun with Franny in the car. We arrived at alcoholic dementia and had written more than half the season when we shut down., Showrunner John Wells spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the ways the pandemic changed the series finale and how travel challenges prevented one long-awaited reunion from happening https://t.co/SFV6EpPZoC. In the Shameless series finale, Kevin and Veronica are trying to find a buyer for The Alibi Room with contrasting attitudes. The Potential 2023 WGA Strike for Dummies. 'A boomerang effect': Hank Aaron's death is falsely linked to Covid vaccine The moment echoes a similar scene from the Shameless season 6 premiere, in which Frank goes to the same church to look for answers after the death of Monica, the mother of his children and the love of his life. As showrunner John Wells tells The Hollywood Reporter, the plan was always to have Frank face consequences of his addictions and horrible parenting an agreement he made with his Emmy-nominated star Macy.
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